Football: Sotomayor continues to win amid off-the-field turmoil

Eric Sondheimer

Los Angeles Sotomayor, a first-year varsity football program, is 4-0 on the field but 1-3 officially because of forfeits from ineligible players.

Parents, players and coaches continue trying to clean up eligibility issues. First-year Coach Danny Castro is most upset with the sudden ineligibility of standout running back Rudy Murillo, who attended South Pasadena and Verdugo Hills last year.

"I don't know what to think," Castro said. "The kid is a role model as an athlete and student."

Sotomayor opened last year without football and has been placed in the Northern League. The campus has two charter schools, which has led to more than a few transfer students. There also have been three athletic directors since June.

On Oct. 7, a group of players who had to sit out the first month of the season are scheduled to become eligible. The school is continuing to work with City Section Commissioner John Aguirre to clarify other eligibility issues.

But parents and others feel their program has been targeted by schools in the Northern League feeling threatened by a new school.